The properties of cadmium tin oxide thin-film compounds prepared by linear combinatorial synthesis

SnO2 and CdO films with high electrical and optical quality have been produced by using low-pressure metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Based on the knowledge gained from binary oxide formation, linear combinatorial synthesis is used to study the ternary oxide (Cd–Sn–O) compound. Compositional, structural, electrical, and optical properties of the films are found to vary along the reactant gas flow direction. The crystal structure indicates that the CdO-like films are formed near the location of gas injection and SnO2-like films near the end of the deposition zone. As composition and structure change, the carrier concentration varies around 1020 cm 3, and the mobility increases from less than 1 to 60 cm2 V 1 s 1. The optical bandgap of the films also increases from 2.75 to 3.65 eV as composition moves from CdO-like films to SnO2-like films. # 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.